Heavy Evies building auctioned off for $162,500

RUTLAND — The building at 231 Main St. has new owners, and tenants are finally getting answers to their concerns.

Richard and Alicia Nardo, owners of ABRN Development, made the winning bid on the property which sold for $162,500.

At an auction held Thursday, March 3 outside the quarter-acre mixed use property, eight parties registered for bidding.

As the bidders gathered, tenants and former Heavy Evies owner Debra Blood waited anxiously on the sidewalk.

Sandra Buxton, who has lived in the building for over four years, said that whether or not the new owners would allow her to stay was the “first and foremost concern.”

She also talked about what she looked for in a new landlord.

“Maintenance is key,” Buxton said, “[Like] fixing things when they need to be. I hope the landlord is what one would always hope they would be.”

Blood, who ran Heavy Evies for six years before an accidental fire destroyed the restaurant last June, has wanted desperately to reopen.

“I hope we can reopen and have our Heavy Evies back,” Blood said, “The whole town misses it. I would love to reopen.”

According to Blood, she and the property’s former owner, Brad Roberts, were talking about reopening before the property was foreclosed on. She said that she had received a letter as recent as January, from Roberts, saying that renovation was on its way. Then she found out that the property would be auctioned off.

“I’m not really living off anything,” Blood said, “I’ve looked for jobs everywhere.”

When the fire occurred, there was only minor smoke damage to the apartments above and the commercial space next door.

Paul Zekos, of The Zekos Group Auctioneers, located in Shrewsbury, oversaw Thursday’s auction.

He opened the bidding at $200,000. The bidding went fairly rapidly, lasting only about ten minutes before the Nardo’s snagged the winning bid.

“We want really good things for the building,” said Alicia Nardo, “We want the building to be successful.”

ABRN Development, located in Marlborough, has successfully developed properties across central Massachusetts.

“Our intentions are on getting the building back to full operation as soon as reasonably possible,” Nardo said.

Nardo went on to comment on the future of Heavy Evies.

“We are in communication with Ms. Blood to try and move forward with getting her business back up and running as soon as we collectively can,” Nardo said.

Nardo also spoke to the future of the current tenants of 251 Main St.

“We plan on making no changes to the current use of the building. Our efforts are on restoring it at the time to the role it has long played in Rutland,” she said.

Nardo also said that renovations to the entire building would begin “soon” and that ABRN planned on supporting the local economy by purchasing renovation and repair supplies locally.

“We want to give back to the community of Rutland,” Nardo said.

As far as when exactly renovations would be complete and fire damage repaired, Nardo said that things had to be taken “one step at a time.”

Still, the Nardos want to assure residents that they have the community’s best interest at heart.

“We like Rutland because of the quality people who live here and we hope to contribute in a small way to the economic growth of the town in years to come.”